Three arrested in irrigation scam

The trio was produced in court on Tuesday and has been remanded in judicial custody.

According to the police, partners of FA Enterprises participated in the tendering process for Balganga dam under fake company names to seek the contract(HT File Photo)

The Thane anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested three more people -- Girish Babar, then executive engineer of Konkan Irrigation division; Balasaheb Patil, former chief engineer of Konkan region; and Ramchandra Shinde, the superintendent engineer of the Thane irrigation department – in connection with the irrigation scam. The trio was produced in court on Tuesday and has been remanded in judicial custody.

According to the police, partners of FA Enterprises -- Nisar Khatri and Fateh Mohammed Abdula Khatri, Jaitun Fateh Mohammed Khatri, Abes Fateh Mohammed Khatri, Jahed Fateh Mohammed Khatri -- participated in the tendering process for Balganga dam in Raigad district under fake company names to seek the contract and show the tender process was conducted in competitive manner.

The ACB had arrested 11 people, including five contractors and six officers, in August.

Several officers from private companies, too, were allegedly involved in the scam. They are submitted fake documents to show they got approval from the water and sanitation department.

An ACB officer said, “We have arrested the trio involved in the scam. They were produced in the court and got judicial custody till November 8. We had also arrested Nisar Khatri, Kolad’s deputy engineer Rajesh Rithe and division engineer Vijay Kasat who were given bail by the court.”